Before 2021, Hideo Kojima had plans for a Death Stranding sequel and wanted the new action game specifically on Google Stadia, an unnamed source reportedly told 9to5Google. Where Death Stranding included some multiplayer elements, namely letting players see results from actions other people took in their games, the Metal Gear Solid developer wanted to create a single-player game for the sequel, with no multiplayer elements at all.
That was reportedly where the trouble started.
9to5’s source said Google’s vice president, Phil Harrison, believed there was no future for single-player games. Harrison and other executives wanted to prioritize new technology in Stadia’s Games & Entertainment department, including Stream Connect, which let players see their friends’ gameplay, and their focus was on building partnerships with developers who would create multiplayer games.
The report contrasts earlier speculations that Kojima was developing an episodic horror game for Stadia, which some assumed may have been connected to Konami’s classic Silent Hill series or could have been a new IP called Overdose.
Whether Kojima is still working on that is unknown, but Death Stranding 2 is definitely happening. In May 2022, the creator confirmed on Twitter that development is underway on the sequel. He said it only just began, though, so it will likely be a while yet before we see even a glimpse of the new project.
Whether Google may have changed its mind is irrelevant now. Google is shutting Stadia servers down in 2023.
Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF
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